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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28378767">Visual Kei (Alternately: Competitive Dalliances Whilst Dressed in Alternative Street Fashion)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dellefox/pseuds/Dellefox'>Dellefox</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Pridecember 2020 [16]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, Arcades, Explicit Language, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff and Humor, High School AU, M/M, Metallica References, Prideshipping, Romantic Fluff, Some Fluff, Teenage Dorks, Visual Kei, YGOPridecember2020, idiots who like each other and don't know how to express it, spot the StarCraft reference, ygopridecember</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:34:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,729</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28378767</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dellefox/pseuds/Dellefox</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Where does a the CEO of a gaming tech company take his dueling rival on a first date? The arcade, of course. Featuring Joust, flamboyant street fashion, skee-ball shenanigans, and two melodramatic teenage boys who don't know how to communicate. AU, Prideshipping. Takes place one week after 'Stocking.'</p><p>For YGO Pridecember 2020. Prompt: Visual Kei</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Atem/Kaiba Seto, Kaiba Seto &amp; Yami Yuugi, Kaiba Seto/Yami Yuugi | Atem</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Pridecember 2020 [16]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037481</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Visual Kei (Alternately: Competitive Dalliances Whilst Dressed in Alternative Street Fashion)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>It is finally DONE! This is the follow-up to 'Stocking,' and I've been working on this one for awhile. </p><p>DISCLAIMER: I know next to nothing about hair products other than hairspray and backcombing(thank you, post-punk aesthetic).<br/>I purposefully wrote Seto to be all over the palace in this one, because that’s where his teenage boy brain is regarding crushes and rivals and such. Also threw in chibi Mokuba being super cute because. xD </p><p> </p><p>Ages:<br/>Rishid - 21<br/>Mai – 17<br/>Seto and Isis - 16<br/>Atem and Marik– 15<br/>Bakura - 14<br/>Yugi – 11<br/>Mokuba – 5</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Late August, 1997</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>                “Hold still!”</p><p>                Mai Kujaku held a black styling comb in her teeth. She grabbed a few pieces of chestnut brown hair, took the comb out of her mouth, and began backcombing furiously.</p><p>                “<em>Ow!</em>” Seto Kaiba wriggled in his chair and tried to pull his head back, but Mai maintained an iron grip. Metallica’s <em>Ride the Lightning </em>album reverberated through stereo speakers. On the floor, Mokuba was engrossed in a Duel Monsters coloring book, oblivious to the world around him.</p><p>                “Oh, quit whining.” She grabbed a can of hairspray and gave a few spritzes to her handiwork. The hair slid back down, only holding a little volume.</p><p>                “I <em>told</em> you not to wash your hair!” she scolded. “Clean hair doesn’t hold as well.”</p><p>                “I don’t need my rival thinking I have questionable hygiene!” Seto hissed.</p><p>                “Honey, I heard all about your grand adventure at the game shop last week. Your little goth flame didn’t seem to care about how sweaty you were because he was too busy enjoying being carried around like an Egyptian pharaoh.”</p><p>                Seto turned bright red. “Ishtar…” he growled. Whatever reasoning Atem used in calling that obnoxious, blabbermouth delinquent a friend was beyond him. “He’s not a <em>flame.</em> I just like badgering him and he gives it right back. It’s a thing that rivals do.”</p><p>                “Don’t even try to convince me that all of this preening you asked me to help you with is for anything other than a <em>date.</em> What Marik witnessed at the game shop was most definitely flirting<em>.</em> You pester him because you <em>like </em>him. He pesters you back because he likes you.”</p><p>                “I won’t be taken seriously if he thinks I don’t bathe.”</p><p>                “Hair needs some texture to it to hold a backcomb. It needs <em>grit.</em> The easiest way to achieve that is to not wash your hair. How do you think Atem gets his to flare out? He’s not using hair gel.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a can of mousse. “Lucky for you, I came prepared. This should do the trick.”</p><p>                She rubbed a generous amount of mousse into his hair, took up the comb, and resumed backcombing, thanking the hair gods that the blue Manic Panic she’d highlighted his hair with had stayed put. “And if I get any sort of inkling you’re playing with Atem’s feelings I won’t hesitate to kick your ass.”</p><p>                “You’ve received misinformation,” Seto insisted. “I’ve given Atem no reason to develop romantic feelings.”</p><p>                Mai set the can down with a clang. Mokuba continued coloring, undisturbed.</p><p>                “Stop that!” she admonished. “You have plenty to offer, and I’m not talking about your looks and your bank account and your Duel Monsters deck. As much as you love to play the bad boy role we both know you’re full of shit, and so does Atem. Bad boys don’t carry their crushes around to help them reach high places.”</p><p>                “I was just reminding him that I’m taller than him.”</p><p>                Seto regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. He didn’t even sound remotely convincing at that point.</p><p>                Mai narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, and I hang out with <em>Marik.</em> Plus he tells me you complimented his eyes.”</p><p>                “I…” Seto felt warmth creep into his cheeks. “Finding someone attractive may or may not be a side effect of having a rival. It was a lapse in judgement.”</p><p>                Mai snorted. “And yet, here we are, getting you dolled up just so you can go ‘prove your gaming superiority.’”</p><p>                “Branding is important. It establishes how you or your company is perceived by your target audience.”</p><p>                “Target audience of exactly one very short, very cute post-punk kōhai. He’s really gotten under your skin, hasn’t he?”</p><p>                “No pipsqueak punk nerd should be allowed to be that fucking <em>handsome,</em>” Seto grumbled. “It doesn’t matter. We’re going to the arcade and dueling at video games instead of cards.”</p><p>                Mai chucked. “Methinks you doth protest too much.”</p><p>                Seto quieted down while Mai finished with the rest of his hair, and she stood back to admire her handiwork.</p><p>                “Brilliant! Now time for makeup.” She started digging into her bag again.</p><p>                “Unnecessary. I have an eyeliner pencil and that’s all I need.”</p><p>                “Nope! First dates are milestones and that’s going to require some eyeshadow, pretty boy.”</p><p>                 </p><p> </p><p>                “Don’t touch my waterline!”</p><p>                “I’m <em>not</em> touching your waterline.”</p><p>                “It <em>feels </em>like you’re touching my waterline.”</p><p>                “I’m not touching your fucking waterline! If I don’t at least get near it you’ll look like a raccoon! Or a ganguro. Honestly I’m not sure which is worse.” Bakura held Atem’s face still with a firm grip of his right hand. He carefully painted a sleek black line under Atem’s lower lashes with his left: a swift, fluid movement to the left, punctuated by a slight flick upwards, repeated again to the right.</p><p>                “All done. That wasn’t so bad. Now close your eyes.”</p><p>                Atem did as he was told, and Bakura continued to paint elegant, sharp lines across his eyelids.</p><p>                “<em>Christ</em>, Mutou. How many pairs of Tripp pants do you own?” Marik asked as he flipped thorough rows of hangers in Atem’s closet.</p><p>                “As many pairs as I need,” Atem retorted. “Most of them are for dueling.”</p><p>                “Of course they are.” Marik started pulling out an assortment of pants, tops, and accessories.</p><p>                “I can dress myself, guys,” Atem said, exasperated. “I’ve done so for many years now.”</p><p>                “That’s the problem.”</p><p>                “Hey!”</p><p>                “Atem, you need to look good tonight! This is your first date, and not with just any guy. He’s your <em>rival.</em> In a few years he’s probably going to be some form of corporate gaming mogul. You have to look better than him, and that’s a tall order to be honest.”</p><p>                “<em>Hey!</em>” Atem snapped. “My choice of clothing hasn’t seemed to be a hinderance yet.”</p><p>                “He could just be overlooking your choice of clothing because you’re smart and you listen to American heavy metal.”</p><p>                Atem raised a middle finger at him, black polish gleaming in the light of the bedroom.</p><p>                “Will you hold still?” Bakura chided. “I’m not done blending yet.”</p><p>                “Okay, let’s run down the list of everything you’ll need for tonight,” Marik said, lining up outfits on the bed. “Keys, wallet, pager, condoms-“</p><p>                “I will <em>not </em>be needing condoms tonight, thank you. I doubt he’s even going to kiss me.”</p><p>                “Are you blind?” Bakura asked. “We’ve seen the way he looks at you when he thinks he’s not being watched. He wants to <em>devour</em> you. Look up.” Atem flicked his eyes upwards and Bakura brushed a coat of mascara along his lower lashes.</p><p>                “That sounds like wishful thinking on my behalf,” Atem replied. “And I’m not ready for sex. I don’t even know what I’d do if he tried to kiss me, to be honest.”</p><p>                “Kiss him back, you fool! Shove your tongue down his throat and duel him for supremacy. You’ll win because you beat him at everything.”</p><p>                “Except Skee-ball and Centipede, apparently.”</p><p>                Bakura slid the mascara wand back into the tube and screwed it shut. “Finished! Off you go to Marik, Cinderella.”</p><p>                “You know, I had an outfit chosen for this three days ago.”</p><p>                “Yeah and it was boring,” Marik shot back. “Here, these are the pants Seto likes you in best.” He tossed a pair of shiny black vinyl pants at Atem.</p><p>                “How do you, of all people, know what he likes?”</p><p>                “We observe, idiot. God knows he’s in the game shop enough. He smirks to himself whenever you wear them.  It’s barely noticeable but it’s there. He also likes these.” He tossed a studded black belt to Atem, along with a black tank shirt loaded with buckles and studs. Atem put the shirt back into his closet.</p><p>                “I can’t move very well in that one. It’s too restrictive.”</p><p>                “What are you possibly doing that involves that much movement? Unless you <em>do </em>want to sleep with him…” Marik smirked.</p><p>                “No!” Atem grabbed a black, shredded Bauhaus tee that once had sleeves and a collar. “If I’m going to beat him at Skee-ball and air hockey I need to be able to move freely. The pants, I’ll keep. They have stretch. But not the shirt.” He guided both his friends to the door. “Now shoo. I need to change and finish getting ready. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>                “Hurry up! You’re going to be late!” Mai rapped on Seto’s bedroom door.</p><p>                “<em>Give me a minute!”</em></p><p>                “Nēchan, what’s Niichan doing?” Mokuba asked.</p><p>                “He’s getting ready to go see Atem,” Mai answered. “It’s a very big night for your brother so he wants to look his best.”</p><p>                “Are they gonna duel?”</p><p>                “Not tonight.” Mai stroked Mokuba’s hair in a motherly fashion.</p><p>                “But Niichan said he’s challenging Atem in every game!”</p><p>                Mai chuckled. “Your brother is very stubborn. He’s going to the arcade with Atem because he <em>really</em> likes him.”</p><p>                “He’s a <em>rival!</em>” came Seto’s muffled protest from the bedroom. “I don’t <em>like</em> him! For the last time, this isn’t a- you know what? Fine. It’s a date. I like him for whatever godforsaken reason, and I can’t stop thinking about him, and I may have asked him out on a <em>date. </em>Are you happy now?”</p><p>                Mai’s laughter echoed through the manor. “I knew you could do it!” She cheered. “You’re finally getting in touch with your feelings. I’m proud of you.”</p><p>                The door flew open. Mokuba’s eyes lit up. “Wow, you look really cool, Niichan!”</p><p>                Seto’s face softened into a smile. “Thanks, kiddo.” He ruffled Mokuba’s hair affectionately.</p><p>                Seto’s backcombed hair was highlighted with blue, courtesy of Mai. Black eyeliner traced his eyes. Mai had lined most of his eyelid, and blended in silver and white eyeshadow, with a trace of blue. His right ear sported a silver helix ring and a cross earring on his lobe, connected by a silver chain. A blue crystal stud earring adorned the lobe of his left year. He wore a silver ring on his right eyebrow, and next to it, a second piercing sported a silver barbell.</p><p>                For pants, he’d chosen the same tight, distressed black jeans he’d worn in the game shop(Atem certainly seemed to be enjoying them…not that he was keeping track or anything) and black combat boots. He’d chosen an artfully distressed and studded black tee shirt and over it, a long, white sleeveless trench coat with more studs and spikes. A Blue Eyes White Dragon was painted on the back. He’d painted his nails dark blue, and various silver rings dotted his fingers. His Duel Monsters locket was hanging around his neck.</p><p>                Mai whistled. “If he didn’t want you before he will now.” The walked to the kitchen.</p><p>                Seto smirked. “It’s Saturday so –“</p><p>                “Yeah, yeah, bath time at seven, bedtime at 8:30.”</p><p>                “I don’t wanna take a bath!” Mokuba protested.</p><p>                “You played outside most of the day today, kid,” Mai said. “You’re filthy.”</p><p>                “Dragons don’t bathe,” Mokuba stated.</p><p>                “But dragon masters do,” Seto said. “Dragon masters also eat all their vegetables.” He turned to Mai. “There’s dinner in the fridge for both of you, and Isono just went shopping if you feel like cooking.” He knelt down to eye level with Mokuba. “I’m going to be home late tonight, so when Mai tucks you in I want you to go to sleep, okay? Don’t try to stay up and wait for me.”</p><p>                “Okay!”</p><p>                Seto gave Mokuba a big hug. “Be good. I love you.”</p><p>                “I love you too, Niichan!” Mokuba ran back to his coloring book. Seto stood back up and grabbed his keys, wallet, and helmet.</p><p>                “You be nice to him, Seto,” Mai said.</p><p>                “Yeah, yeah. I can be <em>nice.</em> I won’t hold back at the arcade though.”</p><p>                Mai rolled her eyes. “Have some fun tonight, for a change.”</p><p>                Seto rolled his eyes and walked out the door.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>                Atem checked his appearance one final time before he left his bedroom. Bakura had, surprisingly, done a really good job with his makeup. He’d changed out his usual kohl for liquid liner, and Bakura had painted an elegant but still edgy cat eye. Black liner covered his lids, covered with black shadow that blended out to the red that matched his highlights and his contact lenses. He’d teased his red, black, and platinum locks into thick sections that appeared to defy gravity. He wore several silver chains in cascading lengths over the Bauhaus top, along with an ear cuff with a silver ankh on his right ear and a long silver chain with a spike charm on the lobe of his left ear. He wore several studded, buckled, and spiked black cuffs on each wrist. The black pants paired nicely with black gothic-style boots that had thick soles. They added a couple of extra inches to his height. He took a deep breath to try and will away the butterflies forming in his stomach. It didn’t work. In the game shop, he found Bakura, Marik, and Yugi waiting for him.</p><p>                “Look at you!” Bakura chirped happily. “Our little black rose is growing up!” He launched into a fit of fake sobbing. Atem rolled his eyes.</p><p>                “You look really cool, Atem!” Yugi said. “Are you and Kaiba going on a date?”</p><p>                “Yes!” Bakura and Marik said at the exact moment Atem said “<em>NO!”</em></p><p>                “For the last time, we’re just going to the arcade,” Atem said, exasperated.</p><p>                The phone conversation had been filled with quips and traded insults that almost sounded more endearing than they did malicious, along with the usual posturing of who would be defeating whom at each game. Seto had given him a place and a time, and no mention of whether or not this was anything beyond friendly rivalry.</p><p>                Bakura and Marik both looked at him like he’d sprouted a third eye in the middle of his forehead. “Well of <em>course</em> it’s a date!” Marik exclaimed. “Have you forgotten everything that happened last week?”</p><p>                “What happened last week?” Yugi asked.</p><p>                “Nothing,” Atem said quickly. He glared at Bakura and Marik. <em>Keep your mouths shut,</em> he thought to himself. “He just helped me put some inventory away while he was at the shop. That’s all.”</p><p>                “Wait, I thought you two didn’t get along,” Yugi said, confused.</p><p>                Bakura sat down next to Yugi. “Yugi-chan, you’re still quite young but someday you’ll understand. When two people like each other a lot-“</p><p>                “Wait! They <em>like</em> each other?” Yugi looked at Atem. “But you two argue all the time! You’re always mad at him!”</p><p>                “Yes, Yugi, they like each other but they’re too <em>stubborn</em> to admit it.” He paused. “Anywho, when two people like each other they do things like, for example, buy Duel Monsters cards at a game shop all the way across town even though there are closer ones because the person they like works there. Then they carry the person they like all over the store like a human stepladder so their very short crush can reach the top shelves.”</p><p>                “Bakura!” Atem scolded. He grabbed his sweatshirt off the counter and draped it around his shoulders, fastening it at the top so that it hung down his shoulders like a cape.</p><p>                “Oh noooooo,” Marik groaned. “Don’t do that. You look like such a dork when you do that.”</p><p>                “I can’t carry it!” Atem protested.</p><p>                “Why do you even <em>need</em> it?”</p><p>                “It gets cold in the arcade!” Atem placed slid his wallet in keys into his pockets. “Anyway, I’m going to be late if I don’t get going. We’re meeting at the arcade.”</p><p>                “Wait!” Marik said. “We need a photo to commemorate the occasion.” He reached into his backpack behind the counter and pulled out a Polaroid camera. “Yugi, can you snap a group photo?”</p><p>                “Sure!” He hopped off the stool he was sitting on took the camera. “Okay, scrunch in! One…two…three!”</p><p>                Yugi took a picture of the three of them, and a few of Bakura and Marik making obnoxious faces. Marik took a few pictures of Atem and Yugi making faces and picking on each other, then Yugi scampered upstairs.</p><p>                “Shit, now I <em>really</em> need to get going.” Atem grabbed his keys and wallet and headed for the door.</p><p>                “Have fun!” the other two crowed.</p><p>                “Call us if things go bad!” Bakura yelled.</p><p>                “Don’t forget to kiss him back!” added Marik.</p><p>                Atem flipped a middle finger into the air before he rounded the corner.</p><p> </p><p>                Atem found Seto leaning casually against a street lamp in front of a small shop two buildings down from the arcade. It was an odd little café that had a coffee shop on one side and a snack bar on the other side. Atem had heard of it from his classmates and wasn’t particularly curious about it until tonight. Seto greeted him with a smirk as he approached.</p><p>                “Hey,” he said.</p><p>                “Hey yourself.” He looked up at Seto. “Ready to lose your high scores?”</p><p>                Seto threw his head back and laughed. “That’s big talk coming from someone of your height.”</p><p>                Atem glared at him. “I haven’t hit my growth spurt yet!”</p><p>                “I’ve seen how tall your family is. I highly doubt you’ll have one so I wouldn’t get my hopes up. At least you made it to five feet.”</p><p>                Atem exhaled sharply. “Beanpole,” he spat. “At least I don’t have to duck under doorways to avoid hitting my head.”  </p><p>                Seto chuckled. “I hope your skee-ball skills are better than your current insults or tonight won’t be challenging at all. You’ve lost your verbal edge lately, it seems.”</p><p><em>                Well, maybe stop looking so damned sexy all of the time then if you want me to concentrate,</em> Atem thought. He straightened up a bit when he realized Seto was sizing him up.</p><p>                “You look good,” he said coolly.</p><p>                Atem felt his cheeks warm. “Thanks. So do you.”</p><p>                “But…” Seto casually closed the distance between them and lifted Atem’s sweatshirt off his shoulder with an index finger. “<em>This.</em> Explain.”</p><p>                “Not you too!” Atem said, exasperated. “I like to wear my sweatshirts like capes. That way I don’t have to carry it. Also, I like capes.”</p><p>                “Why not just wear a cape then?”</p><p>                “Because capes don’t have sleeves.”</p><p>                Seto studied the sweatshirt cape intently before shaking his head.</p><p>                “What?” Atem asked.</p><p>                “Nothing. Have you eaten?”</p><p>                “Not yet.”</p><p>                “Neither have I.” He gestured in the direction of the café. “This place has good coffee, and most of the food is isn’t bad either.”  </p><p>                They headed into the café, and Atem could immediately see why Seto liked it. The walls were lined with stickers and posters of punk and metal bands, and vinyl album covers. Duel Monsters cards were thumbtacked to the wall in between and on the blank spaces the walls were covered with art from various video games and anime. The Sex Pistols was playing in the background. Along the left wall there was a window to order food from the snack bar. A menu of completely mismatched, random items was written on a piece of notebook paper and stapled to the wall. Directly in front of them was the coffee bar, with a menu written along the back wall in chalk. Tables, chairs, and couches were squished into the remaining space, along with a coffee table loaded with board games, comic books, and manga.</p><p>                Atem wasn’t in the mood for coffee, so he stood back while Seto ordered an iced, black dark roast. At the snack bar, Seto ordered nigiri while Atem chose cheese fries and a soda. As he pulled out his wallet to pay for his order, Seto blocked him with his hand. “It’s fine,” he said.</p><p>                “Seto-“</p><p>                “Don’t worry about it.”</p><p>                Atem quietly slid his wallet back into his pocket.</p><p>                Food and drinks obtained, the found a couch and settled in. Atem couldn’t stop looking at everything on the walls. “This place is amazing,” he said, awed.</p><p>                “Don’t tell me you’ve never been here.” Seto raised a pierced eyebrow at Atem.</p><p>                “I haven’t.” Atem nibbled at a fry. “I work after school.”</p><p>                “So do I but I still get out here often enough.” Seto finished a piece of nigiri and chewed thoughtfully.</p><p>                “Do you even sleep? I’ve seen your GPA.”</p><p>                “I get enough sleep if that’s what you’re asking.” He eyed Atem’s cheese fries. Atem scooted the plate closer to Seto, who took one and examined it carefully before eating it.</p><p>                “If you think you’ll unseat me at the arcade fueled solely by carbs you’ve lost your mind.”</p><p>                “What’s wrong with cheese fries?” Atem asked indignantly. “<em>Please </em>don’t tell me you’re one those health nuts who won’t touch carbs and eats nothing but kale and unseasoned chicken.”</p><p>                “Please. Fad diets are ineffective and based on junk science.” He stood up. “Wait here, I’ll be back.”</p><p>                He returned with a plate of sashimi. He nudged the plate towards Atem. “Eat. If all you have is fries you’ll be hungry again in an hour.”</p><p>                Atem blushed for the second time that evening and he had a feeling it wouldn’t be the last. If Seto noticed he didn’t say anything. They worked their way through the rest of the food and fell into a discussion of music. Seto had heard rumors online of Metallica possibly working with the San Francisco Symphony orchestra. Neither he nor Atem were getting their hopes up, as this wasn’t the first time either had heard the rumor. They discussed what songs they’d like to hear if, by some miracle, the collaboration did happen, and dissected Depeche Mode’s newest album. As they took their plates to the return counter, Seto headed back to the coffee bar. Atem raised an eyebrow and Seto smirked in return.</p><p>                Atem sat at a high table and busied himself with a comic book. Maybe Seto needed another coffee? Maybe he really wasn’t getting enough sleep?</p><p>                Seto returned with two shots of espresso. He handed one to Atem.</p><p>                “Seto?”</p><p>                “Do you know how many games are at the arcade now? They added a second floor this year. Trust me, we’re going to need the caffeine. If you knock it back like alcohol you won’t taste it as much.” He grinned at Atem. Atem grinned back.</p><p>                “You’re going to need it more than me. By the end of the night my initials will be all over the arcade.”</p><p>                “Yes, they will…in second place.”</p><p>                “You <em>wish</em>.” Atem leaned in and locked eyes with Seto. “You’d better not hold back.”</p><p>                “You know I won’t.”</p><p>                The clinked their demitasse cups together and knocked back their espresso shots. Atem felt his eye twitch as the bitter liquid slid down his throat. Seto laughed.</p><p>                “Someone’s palette needs an education on good coffee.”</p><p>                “Suck it, Kaiba.” Atem slid off the bar stool.</p><p>                “I don’t put out on the first date,” Seto quipped.</p><p>                 Atem found warmth returning to his cheeks yet again. Seto grabbed his arm and whisked them out the door and to the arcade.</p><p> </p><p>                Atem hadn’t visited the arcade since Yugi’s 10<sup>th</sup> birthday, and he barely recognized the layout. They had, as Seto had said, expanded to the second floor, and added several vintage cabinets from the eighties, much to Atem’s delight. He spotted Joust, Defender, Centipede, and Galaxian before he was guided to the front counter. Before he could even reach for his wallet Seto had purchased a pile of tokens and stashed them in the pocket of his trench coat.</p><p>                “Which game would you like to lose first?” Seto asked. A wicked smile spread across his face. “It looks like they have a few I haven’t conquered yet.”</p><p>                “You mean which game would I like to <em>win</em> first?” Atem asked. “Since I’m clearly going to be the victor, I’ll let you decide.”</p><p>                “I’ll be nice tonight and pick a game you might actually have a chance at.” He nodded towards Centipede. “That’s one of the new ones.”</p><p>                It turned out that neither were particularly skilled at Centipede, and Kaiba grumbled something about a poorly-calibrated track ball as the spider flew down onto the screen and wiped out his remaining life. Atem set the high score with a two-hundred point lead over Seto, but their overall scores were both so low it was likely that neither would stay at the top for long. Atem made a mental note to come back during the week and practice.</p><p>                Seto took a victory in Tetris, but Atem wiped him out in Galaxian and Defender. Seto annihilated him at Tempest and barely managed a victory at Sinistar. Newly-acquired games now taken care of, they started at one end of the arcade and slowly worked their way across, trading playful insults as they battled for supremacy. In the end, Seto took two more victories than Atem, with Atem running a close second in the rest.</p><p>                The scampered up to the second floor. Atem lost horribly in a racing game after accidentally choosing Manual mode for the type of transmission, and a subsequent rematch resulted in Seto intentionally bumping him and sending him into a guardrail.</p><p>                “Hey!” Atem yelled. “That’s cheating!”</p><p>                “I’m not cheating, I’m testing your reflexes. They need work.”</p><p>                Atem retaliated by slamming hard into Seto’s car. Back and forth they went, wiping each other out, until Atem barely crossed the finish line before Seto. They raced a third time, behaving themselves, and that round went to Seto. The ignored the pinball games(Seto eschewed them because they relied too much on luck, in his opinion), and found themselves in front of the Skee-Ball machines. Seto’s grin went from wicked to predatory.</p><p>                “I’ve been undefeated in Skee-Ball since I was ten,” Seto said. “I will <em>not </em>lose.”</p><p>                “Famous last words,” Atem shot back. “I won a Skee-ball tournament when I was twelve.”</p><p>                “Only one?”</p><p>                “Showoff.”</p><p>                “Have you seen yourself in the middle of a duel, Mutou? You could get an academy award for your theatrics.”</p><p>                “Really? I would have thought that honor would go to you and your trench coats.”</p><p>                “The fact that this is coming from someone who wears their hoodies as capes is <em>adorable.</em>”</p><p>                Atem closed his eyes and flared his nostrils irritably as he felt yet another blush wash over his face. He’s was thankful the dim lighting in the room was probably hiding it.</p><p>                “Prepare to lose, Kaiba!”</p><p>                “Bring it, Mutou!”</p><p>                They attacked the Skee-ball machines with vigor, and Atem gracefully launched ball after ball into the 100-point rings. Seto was so focused on trying to catch up to Atem’s scores that he hadn’t even noticed Atem moving from machine to machine, quietly unseating each of their high scores. Seto threw the last ball in his latest game, but was fifty points short. He looked over to find Atem standing next to him proudly.</p><p>                “Sir, do you mind?” Atem said. “I need to beat the high score on that machine. It’s the last one I haven’t played, you see.”</p><p>                Seto squinted down at Atem. “Of course.” He moved over one space to the machine on the left. “I need to fix the scores you’ve messed with anyway.” Then he got an idea.</p><p>                Atem launched three balls successfully. On the fourth, he watched a rogue ball fly in from the left and knock his off its original trajectory. Both flew up and missed completely, falling into the gutter space at the bottom. Atem whipped around and glared at Seto. “What the fuck was that for?”</p><p>                “Testing your reflexes again.” Kaiba grabbed another ball and waited for Atem’s next move. “It’s much easier since you’re left-handed.”</p><p>                The next ball was knocked away with as much ease as the first, and Seto kept it up until the end of the game.</p><p>                “Oh <em>noooooo,</em>” Atem said sarcastically. “There’s <em>nothing</em> I can do to keep you from messing with my game.” He sauntered over to the machine on the very far left, next to the wall, but Seto quickly strode around and blocked him.</p><p>                Atem moved to the game two spaces away. Seto trotted over to the one directly on his left. Atem sprinted back to the far-left game but Seto beat him to it once again, so he raced back to the right with Seto hot on his heels. Skee-ball turned into a modified game of tag, and back and forth they went until he saw an opening and made a mad dash back to the left. He was almost there when a pair of arms wrapped around his hips, picked him up, and carried him over to the far-right side.</p><p>                “Hey!”</p><p>                He was plopped unceremoniously down and Seto flew back to the far-left machine, trench coat flapping behind him. He stood, arms crossed, in front of it.</p><p>                “Now what are you going to do?” he asked triumphantly.</p><p>                Atem narrowed his eyes at Seto, then sprinted forward in an attempt to knock him out of the way. Seto caught him by his hands and pushed him back. Atem dug his heels in and pushed harder. They grappled with each other, giggling hysterically, until Seto finally got the upper hand, pulled him around, and pinned Atem against the wall.</p><p>                Atem gasped, eyes wide. He stared into Seto’s icy blue gaze, unable to look away, not <em>wanting</em> to look away. Seto had pinned his wrists to the wall on either side. Seto let go of his left wrist and Atem let it fall to his side. Seto leaned in closer, not breaking eye contact. Atem could hear his own blood rushing in his ears as Seto leaned in ever closer…</p><p>                “We forgot Joust,” he whispered in Atem’s ear.</p><p>                In a split second he vanished from Atem’s immediate proximity. Atem’s heart was back to doing somersaults in his throat, and he shook his head and swallowed before heading towards the stairs. Seto followed. Atem, in his haste, made a wrong turn, and he felt himself being tugged by the sleeve of his sweatshirt.</p><p>                “It’s <em>this</em> way, Mutou.”</p><p>                Seto continued to lead him by his sleeve to the Joust cabinet. The high score was set at its default, an indicator that it was one of the newer additions to the arcade. Seto pressed a token into Atem’s palm, and they started two-player mode.</p><p>                While most of the vintage Atari games had a turn-based two player mode, Joust’s was a co-op. Their ostrich avatars flew around the screen, dispatching enemy buzzards. They cleared the first few levels with ease and racked up a sizeable number of extra lives. The pterodactyl complicated things until Seto was able to take it out. As the difficulty increased and more pterodactyls spawned onto the field, they found that they were <em>really </em>good at tag-teaming. They were concentrating too hard to tease each other or focus on who had the higher score. Instead, their chatter was focused on strategy, littered with occasional expletives when one of them lost a life.</p><p>                They played for what felt like hours. At one point a crowd had gathered, but dispersed when they realized it was going to be a long wait.  </p><p>                At long last, they were each down to their last life, trying desperately avoid three pterodactyls that were screeching and gliding erratically around the field. They came at Seto and Atem from either side, pushing Seto and Atem towards each other. In their haste to keep from crashing their avatars into each other they quickly reversed direction and flew right into them, wiping out their remaining lives. It was so ridiculous they burst out laughing. ‘GAME OVER’ flashed across the screen in red letters, and when the high score board popped up Atem was only 150 points behind Seto. He didn’t care. They put in their initials and made their way to the front, scanning over the room, ‘KAI’ and ‘TEM’ glowing brightly on the point screens of every game in the top two places. They were buzzing from caffeine and adrenaline. But the arcade would be closing to minors soon, so they headed back to the lobby and out the door.</p><p>                Atem didn’t want the night to end. He hadn’t been sure what to expect but it had gone so much better than he could have ever imagined. He wondered if Seto felt the same. He was replaying the night in his head as they walked towards the game shop. He realized something.</p><p>                “Fuck!” He exclaimed.</p><p>                “What?”</p><p>                “We forgot the air hockey tables.” Atem sighed.</p><p>                Kaiba chuckled. “Is that what you’re worried about? Don’t be. We’ll grab them next time…I mean, if you’d like to go on another date.”</p><p>                Atem smiled. “So this <em>was</em> a date.”</p><p>                Seto stopped. Atem looked up at him. Seto was staring him down with an incredulous expression and he felt his heart drop into his stomach. <em>Fantastic. I have fucked all the way up. Good job, Atem. Now you’ll have to drop off the earth and become a cryptid. You’ll never survive in the wilderness. Nature is too brutal.  </em></p><p>                “What else would it be<em>?</em>” he responded. “I <em>like</em> you, Atem.”</p><p>                Atem’s mouth fell open and he felt his heart rocket back up to his throat. “Wait, you like <em>me?</em>”</p><p>                “Of course I like you!” Seto exclaimed. “Who the hell else would I like?”</p><p>                “I…don’t know?”</p><p>                “You’re telling me you’ve been completely oblivious every fucking time I’ve ever flirted with you?”</p><p>                “You were <em>flirting</em>?”</p><p>                “I’ve been flirting with you all <em>night</em>! I’ve been flirting for <em>weeks</em>! Do you not remember last week? At the game shop?”</p><p>                “That was <em>flirting?” </em></p><p>                “Of <em>course</em> that was flirting! Do you honestly think I go around commenting on people’s eyes all the time? Or carry short people everywhere?”</p><p>                “Oh my god,” Atem muttered. “Bakura and Marik were right.”</p><p>                “Of <em>course </em>they were – <em>wait.</em>” Seto took a step back. “Those two idiots had it figured out before you did!?”</p><p>                “I…” Atem sighed. “Yes, but in my defense, I thought there was no possible way they could be right about this because they <em>are</em> idiots.”</p><p>                Seto felt something in him snap.</p><p>                “You drive me crazy Atem, you know that?” he said. “We’re supposed to be rivals, and yet here you are, listening to the same damn music as me and shredding your shirts like I do and even reading the same fucking <em>books</em>. You kick my ass at Duel Monsters and you run around in leather pants and red contact lenses and you snark back at me every time we argue. You’re the only opponent I’ve ever had who can keep up with me and you’re so damned intelligent I honestly can’t figure out how the fuck you ended up on the delinquent side of our school. You make it fucking difficult for me to <em>not </em>like you.”</p><p>                “I’m on the delinquent side of the school because I’m terrible at math, my best friends <em>are</em> delinquents, and I refuse to stop dying my hair, Seto. And you don’t think you drive <em>me crazy?</em> We did nothing but fight for the first two years we knew each other, what was I supposed to think? And then one day you just start coming to the game shop out of nowhere, and you start being occasionally <em>nice</em> to me. Do you know how fucking confusing that is?”</p><p>                “So did you <em>want </em>this to be a date?”</p><p>                “Of <em>course</em> I did!”</p><p>                Seto’s thoughts were racing at warp speed, unable to come together and form anything coherent he could verbalize. He ran both hands through his hair, staring at Atem with a bewildered expression, before he shook his head, stalked over to him and in one swift motion scooped him into a blazing kiss.</p><p>                Atem felt himself being lifted off the ground and self-preservation kicked in. Fearing they’d topple over, he wrapped his arms around Seto’s neck and hitched his legs around Seto’s waist before his brain registered that he was, in fact, experiencing his very first kiss and that Seto hadn’t probably kissed anyone before either. He remembered Bakura’s advice from earlier and pressed his lips back against Seto’s just as forcefully. He mentally ran through what he’d seen on TV and in various movies, and gently slid his tongue as best he could across Seto’s mouth in an attempt to pry it open. Seto took the hint and opened his mouth against Atem’s. Atem matched him again, but realized they were both opening their mouths a bit too wide and before he could pull back for another try, he felt Seto’s tongue pushing against his. Back and forth they went until the need to breathe forced them apart with jarred gasps.</p><p>                They stared at each other, eyes wide, breathing heavy. At some point Seto had pushed him up against a brick wall.</p><p>                “You’d better not be fucking with me right now,” Atem said, suddenly feeling very vulnerable and defensive.</p><p>                Seto chuckled. “I might be a dick but I don’t toy with emotions and lies. It’s a waste of my time and it’s dishonorable.” He kissed Atem again, softer this time, a little less awkwardly. Atem sighed into him, lazily wrapping his tongue around Seto’s. They were learning quickly. They remembered to breathe this time. It was better than every dream Atem had of him, warm and soft and slightly bitter from espresso, mixed with the scent of Seto’s cologne. It felt heady and delicious.</p><p>                Seto’s watch vibrated against Atem’s back, and Seto pulled him away from the wall and guided him back down to the ground. He checked his watch. “It’s almost midnight. I need to get home and check on Mokuba.”</p><p>                “Of course.” Atem smiled.</p><p>                “He looks up to you,” Seto said. “I think it’s because we dress alike.” He took Atem’s hand and they continued to the game shop. Seto pulled him into a tight hug.</p><p>                “I had a wonderful time,” Atem said.</p><p>                “Me too.”</p><p>                Seto stood watch while Atem unlocked the door. It popped open with a <em>click.</em> He turned back around to face Seto, and Seto pulled him into another kiss. Atem stood on his tiptoes to reach him better.</p><p>                “Rematch?” Atem asked.</p><p>                “Obviously.” Seto smirked. “I’ll call you.”</p><p>                He pulled Atem up for one last chaste kiss before Atem slipped into the game shop. He slipped quietly through the back hallway and crept past the stock room.</p><p>                “I <em>told</em> you he liked you.”</p><p>                Atem nearly leapt to the ceiling and managed, by some miracle, to remain silent. He silently padded back to the stock room and flipped on the light.</p><p>                Marik was leaning against a shelf full of Funko Pops, casually inspecting his fingernails.</p><p>                “What are you still doing here?” Atem hissed, careful not to wake his family. “And how much did you see?</p><p>                “Had to see how it went, duh,” Marik responded, voice low. “Keep your shirt on, Sparky. I didn’t see anything, I just heard you talking. So did he kiss you? Like an actual kiss and not some peck on the cheek?”  </p><p>                Atem paused, remembering the feeling of Seto’s lips on his, of strong arms picking him up and gently pushing him against the wall, the feeling of long, elegant fingers intertwined with his own.</p><p>                “Aaaaand that’s a yes.” Marik smirked. “Was it his first kiss too?”</p><p>                “I think so,” Atem replied. “It was…kind of awkward at first. But not bad. Not at all.”</p><p>                “First kisses are always awkward. Don’t believe the movies. My sister said her first kiss was really weird. She said it felt like her date was trying to eat her face off.”</p><p>                “That’s…really sad, actually.” Atem frowned.</p><p>                “Eh, she doesn’t regret it, so I suppose it’s alright.” Marik shifted. “Anywho, are you going out with him now?”</p><p>                “Next weekend, I think.” Atem stifled a yawn. The intensity of the evening was beginning to catch up to him.</p><p>                “No no no, like <em>going out</em> going out. Like…”</p><p>                “…dating?” Atem finished.</p><p>                “Yeah. Are you official?”</p><p>                “No! It was one date!” Atem stretched his neck. “Look, I’ll give you guys details tomorrow, okay? I need to sleep. You can crash on the couch if you want.”</p><p>                “Nah, I gotta get home before Rishid lays into me about curfew again. I’ll see ya tomorrow.”</p><p>                He headed out the side door, of the stock room, and Atem locked up behind him. He carefully climbed the stairs, crept to his bedroom, and fell backwards onto his bed, exhausted. He touched a finger to his lips, memorizing every detail of every kiss they’d shared that night.</p><p>                He changed into nightclothes and fell asleep grinning like an idiot.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Regarding Atem’s(and to a degree, Seto’s) hair:<br/>Most Japanese high schools forbid the dying of hair in an effort to enforce societal conformity. The exception to this rule, in some schools, is the requirement for students with naturally lighter hair to dye it black, but this is slowly being phased out. In some areas, students protest this ideal by lightening their hair on purpose and tricking school administrators into believing it is their natural hair color by various methods of record falsification(many schools require proof of hair color if a student’s natural color is not black).  In 2017 a lawsuit was filed against a high school in Osaka by an 18-year-old student, citing physical and mental damages from dying her hair. She was ordered to dye her naturally brown hair black every four days, which caused severe damage to her hair and scalp. Her family sued the school for 2.2 million yen. I wasn’t able to find the outcome.<br/>Most schools require students with naturally lighter hair to produce various forms of proof it hasn’t been dyed. In the anime, Yugi’s(and Yami/Atem’s hair), is red, black, and blonde, so perhaps Domino High doesn’t adhere to the rules as much. But technicolor hair also reigns supreme in anime, so it’s entirely possible Yugi and Atem could have naturally tricolored hair because anime logic. </p><p>I’ve decided here to split the difference and divide Domino High into two halves: the gifted conformist kids on one side who wear their uniforms properly and don’t dye their hair, and the rougher side where the nonconformist kids end up, the kids that dye their hair and can’t take direction and get into fights and such. Atem wound up on this side partially because he refuses to keep his hair a natural color, but more so because he hangs out with Bakura and Marik, who can’t exactly stay out of trouble. Expect Joey to spend some time on this side of the campus in later fics. #foreshadowing</p><p>Fun musical facts:<br/>Michael Kamen first proposed a collaboration with Metallica in 1992, hence Seto and Atem’s doubts about the rumors, but low and behold, S&amp;M was released in November of 1999. It is my favorite Metallica Album by far. The released a second one that was recorded in  2019, but Kamen passed away in 2003 and while it’s good, it doesn’t hold up to the first one, in my opinion. Kamen left behind a legacy that few will match.  </p><p>Ultra was released by Depeche mode in April of 1997. It’s dark, edgy, and angsty, so basically Seto’s entire aesthetic. xD </p><p>Seto dresses in Visual Kei throughout the anime(his Battle City coat is a prime example), so it wasn’t a stretch to do this one for me. I made him a bit edgier with more jewelry and such, because he’s so very extra at his core. xD I felt that metal/post punk/industrial was a better look for Atem, but still tried to incorporate some visual kei into his overall look. </p><p>And as always, many thanks to everyone who comments/leaves kudos/shares my work! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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